Gladys Knight Flips Segregation Into A Positive

Legendary singer Gladys Knight is coming to the rescue of a North Carolina landmark. She and her husband Billy McDowell are restoring an all black segregation era school and turning it into a recreation center for the youth of the community.

Knight and her husband took interest in restoring the building because it holds a special significance to McDowell. His mother worked as a janitor there until the school was closed due to the integration of Canton, North Carolina schools. The hope is to keep the history of the community alive through the new recreation center.

In effort to convert the building into a public recreation center, the couple has bought the property for $85,000. They are also actively trying to raise funds to help with the renovations that are estimated to cost about two million dollars.